Contracted Marriage with the Rival CEO

Chapter 3: First Dinner with the Enemy

I stood in front of the mirror for a long moment, adjusting the simple black blouse I had chosen. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it felt safe. I needed something that made me feel like I still had a small piece of control in this strange new world.

I walked down the hallway toward the dining area. The penthouse was quiet, just soft jazz in the background. When I reached the dining table, Lino was already seated. The long glass table was set elegantly: two plates, crystal glasses, a bottle of red wine breathing in the center. He looked up as I approached, his grey eyes scanning my outfit with quiet approval.

‘You came,’ he said, his voice smooth and low.

I pulled out the chair across from him and sat down. ‘I didn’t think I had much choice,’ I said.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He didn’t say anything, just reached for the wine bottle and poured some into my glass. The simple act felt strangely intimate in the quiet of the penthouse.

The maid appeared quietly, served the grilled salmon with asparagus and risotto, then disappeared, leaving us completely alone. The city lights twinkled through the large windows behind Lino, creating an almost romantic backdrop that felt completely wrong for our situation. Silence settled. I picked up my fork and poked at the food. I wasn’t hungry.

‘Rule number four,’ he said suddenly, cutting into his salmon with precise movements. ‘We eat dinner together every night unless I say otherwise. We need to learn how to act like a real couple before our first public event.’

My fork paused mid-air. I looked up at him. ‘And how exactly are we supposed to do that? Practice smiling at each other across the table?’

Lino leaned back slightly, his eyes never leaving mine. ‘By getting comfortable with each other. Starting tonight.’ My fingers tightened around the stem of my glass as I watched the deep red liquid swirl.

‘You’re very good at giving orders,’ I said quietly, trying to keep my voice steady.

‘And you’re very good at testing limits,’ Lino replied, his tone dropping a notch. ‘I study everything.’ He set the bottle down. ‘Your father did too. I read three of his published pieces on corporate restructuring this afternoon. He wrote the way he thought methodical, every argument load-bearing. Nothing wasted.’

The mention of my father came at me sideways, the way it always did. ‘Don’t do that,’ I said.

‘Do what?’

‘Use him to make me trust you. It’s a good tactic but I’d rather you didn’t.’

Lino held my gaze. ‘While you live under this roof, you follow my rules. In return, I will keep you alive and give you the resources you need to continue your investigation.’

I took a sip of the wine, hoping it would calm my nerves. Being this close to him sharing a meal, breathing the same air felt more dangerous than I had expected.

I set the glass down and met his gaze. ‘You promised me access to information about my father’s death. When do I get that?’

Lino’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes darkened slightly. ‘You’ll get what you need. Step by step. Rushing things could put both of us in more danger than you realise.’ The tension between us crackled like electricity.

‘You keep saying ‘both of us’,’ I said, leaning forward a little. ‘But I still don’t know what your real stake is in all of this. Why did you really want this marriage?’

Lino set his knife and fork down and leaned forward as well, mirroring my posture. The movement brought our faces closer across the table. ‘Because Daniel is becoming too dangerous. He’s been making moves behind my back and I need to secure my position. Marrying you gives me the shares and the public image I need to push him back. And you… you give me every reason to hate him as much as I want to.’

His honesty was unexpected and the intensity in his grey eyes made it hard to look away. ‘So I’m just a tool to you,’ I said softly.

Lino’s lips curved into a small, dangerous smile. ‘We’re both tools in this game, Sasha. The difference is I’m willing to protect my tools.’ A strange shiver moved down my spine. The food tasted like cardboard in my current state of mind.

After a few moments of silence, Lino spoke again, his voice quieter. ‘Tomorrow morning, we have our first public appearance. A charity brunch. Daniel will be there. He’ll be looking for any sign that this marriage is fake.’

I lifted my eyes to him. A small spark of something defiant pushed through the exhaustion. ‘What exactly does Daniel know about my father’s investigation?’

‘Enough to be frightened,’ Lino said. ‘Your father got close to the hospital records six weeks before he died. Daniel doesn’t know specifically what your father found or what documents he removed. That’s why the threats are about returning files rather than simply stopping. He’s looking for something specific.’

‘The brown envelope,’ I said. ‘The one my mother had in the photo tonight. What’s in it?’

‘I don’t know yet.’

He set his fork down and looked at me not calculating this time, but something more unguarded. ‘You don’t know what your father found?’

‘He didn’t tell me. He protected me from the details.’ I said it flatly, because it still made me furious. ‘He spent twenty years teaching me to think critically and three months before he died he decided to start protecting me like I was twelve. So no. I don’t know exactly what’s in that envelope.’

Silence. The jazz moved softly through it.

‘He was probably afraid,’ Lino said, and there was something in his voice not softness, but a quality I didn’t have a name for yet. ‘Not of you. For you. Those are different.’

I looked at him across the table. The city glittered behind him. ‘Are you afraid of Daniel?’ I asked.

He took a moment. Which told me more than a quick answer would have. ‘I’m cautious about Daniel. Afraid is a word I try to use accurately. I’m not afraid of him. I underestimated him for too long and people got hurt because of it. That’s different from fear and considerably harder to fix.’

I picked up my wine and took a sip. Everything in this penthouse was very good, and I was starting to understand that this was its own kind of threat: how quickly comfort neutralises suspicion.

‘You’ll wear something elegant,’ he said. ‘Eva already sent several options to your room. I nodded stiffly. ‘Fine.’

Lino tilted his head, studying me. ‘You’re going to have to do better than ‘fine’ when people are watching us, Sasha.’

Then maybe you should start teaching me how a good wife is supposed to behave in public.’ The challenge slipped out before I could stop it.

Lino’s grey eyes flashed with something dark and heated. He leaned in even closer across the table, his voice dropping to a low whisper that sent warmth across my skin.

‘Careful what you ask for, Sasha. I might take that as an invitation to start teaching you tonight.’

The air grew thick between us. Neither of us moved for several long seconds. I felt my pulse racing. I could see the subtle tension in his jaw, the way his eyes darkened as they held mine. For one dangerous moment, the line between our fake marriage and real attraction felt paper-thin.

Lino finally leaned back, breaking the intense moment as if nothing had happened. ‘Eat,’ he said calmly, picking up his fork again. ‘You’ll need your strength for tomorrow.’

The rest of the meal passed in heavy silence. By the time we finished, I was ready to escape back to my room. As I stood to leave, his voice stopped me.

‘Sasha.’

I turned. He was still seated, watching me with those piercing grey eyes.

‘Sleep well,’ he said softly. ‘Tomorrow is going to be a long day.’

I nodded once and walked away, feeling his gaze on my back the entire way down the hallway.

When I closed the door to my room, I leaned against it and let out a shaky breath. This was only the first night. And somehow, it already felt like I was losing control of more than just the situation.

My phone buzzed. Eva. One message:

Someone accessed my system tonight. Tried to pull the hospital files I’ve been building for you. They didn’t get everything. But they got enough to know we’re close.

I stared at the message. Then I turned and pushed the door open, walking back toward the living area. Lino wasn’t there. I raced down the hall to his room and knocked on his door.